On June 22nd, the California Strategic Growth Council (SGC) released it's funding recommendations as part of the 2014-2015 Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities program, part of the State's Cap and Trade Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund. As part of the application process, Global Green ran customized Greenhouse Gas reduction models for 8 projects, and is happy to see that 6 of the 7 applications submitted were recommended for funding totaling $14,583,000.

Global Green was excited to be involved in SGC's first iteration of the program, and is working with a coalition of groups involved with the Cap and Trade program to help SGC improve the application process and quantification methodology to better reward green building and affordable housing projects.

Global Green USA is the American affiliate of Green Cross International, founded by President Gorbachev. Their mission is to foster a global value shift toward a sustainable and secure future. Global Green USA has advanced smart solutions for climate change that improves lives and protects our planet. Since 1995, Global Green USA has influenced more than $20 billion dollars worth of building construction by encouraging the integration of green building and sustainability practices.

Their green office incorporates carpet tiles that contain post-consumer recycled content (PCRC) by Interface and zero-VOC paint on the walls. Their translucent plexi glass doors and walls are made of PCRC by Element Designs. Global Greens in-house sustainability practices include diverting approximately 75% of unwanted materials from landfill through reducing, reusing and recycling as much as possible. They stock reusable dishes, silverware, glasses and even commuter mugs for employees to use when purchasing local coffee and hot drinks from various neighboring Green Certified cafes and restaurants on Main Street.

All Global Green events, including their Pre-Oscar party and Millennium Awards, are sustainable zero waste events. They also close the recycling loop with sustainable office purchasing like giving preference to the highest post-consumer content available across the board for paper products from notepads to tissue paper (usually 80 – 100%). Eco-minded receptionist, Sharon Williams, facilitates zero waste staff lunches on the beach by having each staff bring a set of reusables to eat with. Office is cleaned with Staples Sustainable Earth cleaners ordered online. Global Green’s initiatives focus on sustainable solutions not just for our planet--but for people.

Let’s face it - trash can be a dirty, messy business. Our waste typically consists of the objects we no longer value or find use for, they are the things we essentially do not want anything to do with; but at this year’s Global Green Millennium Awards, we treated trash like it was top of the list! With the help of our mindful attendees, cooperation from our exquisite host, the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel, and the excited Global Green Zero Waste team, we successfully made our signature awards ceremony a zero waste event for the second year in a row!

Leftover food ready to be donated

So what’s all the buzz about? As it turns out, many of the objects we automatically refer to as 'waste' actually have an afterlife. All of the waste from the Global Green Millennium Awards was sent to facilities to be either composted, recycled, or donated - as a result, nothing was sent to the landfill!

We are proud to announce that 70 pounds of food that would have otherwise been sent to sit in a landfill was donated to LA area food banks through the Chefs to End Hunger program. Not only did this food feed hungry Angelenos, but also contributed to decreasing our greenhouse gas emissions.

So how did we achieve a zero waste event? First, all of the trash bins were clearly labeled throughout the venue and bathrooms; one for recyclables, one for compostables and napkins, and one for paper towels. All kitchen waste was immediately disposed into an on-site digester, which got mixed with water and sent to the Hyperion Treatment Plant in Playa Del Rey to be anaerobically digested with the city’s wastewater. Next, a Global Green Zero Waste representative trained all the staff from the kitchen, maintenance, janitorial services, and dining services in the most efficient zero waste practices for the remaining recyclables and food scraps that were generated in the front-of-the-house area.

Throughout the ceremony, the Zero Waste team periodically checked that all the waste bins were properly sorted and separated. Lastly, after an inspiring evening of a successful auction, touching performances and speeches by Vandana Shiva, Prince Ea, and others, as well as delicious food and a heartfelt award ceremony, the night concluded with preparing the organics, recyclables, and paper towels to be collected by the waste hauler. The hauler then sent the paper towels to an organics transfer station and the recyclables to a material sorting facility.

Leia Marsovich, the leader of the 2015 Millennium Awards Zero Waste Team, escorting our waste to its next engagement

What actually happens when waste is composted or recycled? The compost, which consists of inedible food scraps and napkins, will be converted into nutrient rich soil that can be used for agriculture or on landscapes. Recyclables such as plastic water bottles, glass containers, paper, etc., will be sent to processors and factories to be turned into new products. Global Green takes pride in considering all aspects of sustainability - even when it comes to the dirty and messy! A big thank you to Briana Wellman at the Hyatt Century Regency Plaza and Judi Gregory at NASA Services for helping make the 2015 Global Green Millennium Awards a truly green event.

We asked staff members to recommend good green books for kids, with characters and stories to engage and teach little ones on the topic of the environment.

"The Lorax" by Dr. Seuss

The Dr. Seuss classic includes such lines as "I speak for the trees, for the trees have no tongues" and "Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not."

"The Giving Tree" by Shel Silverstein

"This has always been a household favorite. As a child, and even as an adult, this book reminds me just how selfless nature truly is, and how much we lose when we take it for granted." -- Sarah Susson, Development Assistant

"The Little Red Hen" by Paul Galdone

"This was a favorite of mine growing up. It's a true farm-to-table tale about growing the food we eat -- and how we need to work together to reap the rewards." -- Stef McDonald, Managing Editor of Online Content

"The Great Kapok Tree" by Lynne Cherry

"This classic children's book is about respecting the earth and taking personal responsibility." -- Paul Walker, Director of Environmental Security and Sustainability

"Little House on the Prairie" series by Laura Ingalls Wilder

"These were not intended to be environmental books but they described Laura Ingalls Wilder's life growing up in the prairie and woods and how they managed to grow food, used what they found, and didn't waste a thing." -- Linda Stone, Program and Operations Director in our New Orleans office

"Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain" by Verna Aardema

"It has wonderful illustrations of the Savannah and shows how the Masai people are closely connected with their animals and the environment." -- Hagu Solomon, Green Urbanism Program Associate

"Green My Parents" by Jordan Howard and Adora Svitak

"It’s designed to empower youths to seed the green economy and help save the planet. With fun simple assignments that save energy, water and other resources." -- Sharon Williams, Receptionist

"Dolphin Baby" by Nicola Davies

"This is my all-time favorite book. One, because I love dolphins; and two, because it narrates a baby dolphin’s journey in the sea. The book takes you through the baby dolphin’s first breath as well as his experiences with life under the sea with the help of his mother to guide him along the way." -- Iman Douglas, Accounting Assistant

"The Wump World" by Bill Peet

Whoa: The pristine world inhabited by the wumps is invaded by Pollutians from the planet Pollutus.

GLOBAL GREEN USA NEW ORLEANS COUNCIL

GLOBAL GREEN USA is the American affiliate of President Gorbachev’s Green Cross International, which seeks to foster a global value shift toward a sustainable and secure future by reconnecting humanity with the environment. In the U.S., Global Green focuses on mitigating climate change by demonstrating the value of green buildings and sustainable neighborhoods.

Global Green opened our New Orleans office shortly after Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast, and on the 4th anniversary of the hurricane, its work on affordable housing, schools and energy policy earned national critical acclaim.

New Orleans Programs

Holy Cross Project: Global Green’s sustainable village in the Lower 9th Ward boasts 5 completed LEED Platinum homes surrounded by rain gardens. The first home is serving as a visitors’ center and has educated over 20,000 people on a range of green building techniques.

Coming next is the Holy Cross Community Development & Climate Action Center, a large community and conference center that will provide a corner grocery store and credit union, and will house Global Green’s permanent green education center and staff.

The center will advance the green rebuilding of the Gulf Coast, making sustainable development the new standard for the region. It will include Global Green’s offices; a visitor’s center targeting tour buses and local schools; meeting rental facilities targeting smaller but influential groups visiting New Orleans; bank branch; corner cafe/coffee shop offering fresh foods; and passive survivability features (e.g., back up electricity, potable water, and sanitation for first responders in case of future storms). It will also help export knowledge to other cities—especially those in endangered coastal areas or otherwise threatened directly by climate change—to create a unified front on the adaptation to and mitigation of the dangers of climate change.

Locally, the Center will create new jobs, provide job training, incubate small business, and provide ongoing outreach and education on green building and renewable clean energy to daily visitors.

An 18-unit affordable apartment building will finish off the model development.

Green Schools: Four “Green Seed Schools” are enjoying an average $23,000 a year energy savings due to upgrades from Global Green. Two “Model Green Schools” received over $700,000 from Global Green to install green features such as solar panels, rainwater cisterns, and energy and resource monitoring. Andrew Wilson Elementary School in Broadmoor achieved LEED Gold Certification and L.B. Landry is expected to obtain LEED Silver. Added value projects included green curricula development, teacher training and a green career fair.

NOLA Wise: In partnership with the City of New Orleans, Southeast Energy Alliance, and the Department of Energy's Better Buildings Program Global Green offers homeowners loans for energy efficiency improvements. A qualified HERS rater performs a home energy assessment to determine the best way to achieve a 15% reduction in energy usage. Participants will have access to a pool of nationally-certified contractors, as well as knowledgeable energy efficiency specialists who will walk them through the process. This includes access to any other available incentives, rebates, and tax credits, such as HERO, EnergySmart, and other federal and state programs.

Build It Back Green: BIBG is New Orleans’ largest green building outreach and education program. Focusing on low-income families, it empowers New Orleanians to make their homes greener and save on their utility bills by offering free information, training and weatherization assistance. To date, the program has reached over 20,000 residents through 300 community workshops and events, hundreds of one-on-one green building technical consultations, and over 100 customized on-site home energy consultations. .

Green Building Resource Center (GBRC): The GBRC was opened downtown in June 2006 to provide the community with hands-on examples of green building materials; fact sheets on energy efficiency, tax credits and more; and one-on-one consultations with Global Green technical staff. Located conveniently on the streetcar line, it was honored as “New Orleans’ Best Recovery Resource” in December 2010 by the Neighborhood Partnership Network.

Clean Energy For A Clean Gulf Coast: It began with the BP Oil Spill and has continued along the length of the Gulf Coast. Beyond raising funds to help fishermen’s families, Global Green has been advocating for a full clean up of the spill, restitution for lost jobs and income, and accelerated efforts towards green energy and green jobs.

WE INVITE YOUR MEMBERSHIP

Global Green USA depends on the support and involvement of conscientious, progressive individuals to achieve its goals and to forward President Gorbachev’s vision of a safer, more sustainable planet. Now in its second decade, Global Green understands the urgent need for knowledgeable and dedicated leaders who are active in the environmental community.

Membership Commitment

Give and/or raise $2.500 per year, and

Help recruit additional Council members and spread Global Green’s message.

GLOBAL GREEN USA

SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA COUNCIL

Global Green USA is the U.S. affiliate of Green Cross International, the environmental movement founded by President Mikhail Gorbachev more than a decade ago. Global Green's mission is to foster a global value shift toward a sustainable and secure future.

Global Green in San Francisco Bay Area

Enthusiasm for Global Green’s work in the San Francisco and the Bay Area is extraordinary . Many of Global Green’s initial successes in greening the urban environment in policy and in built examples, have come from our green affordable housing partnerships with the City of San Francisco, and most recently with the cities of the Silicon Valley.

Green Schools Lessons learned working with the San Francisco Unified School District (with the support of the San Francisco Foundation and The Lisa and Douglas Goldman Fund) have served as the basis of Global Green’s National Green School Initiative. Green building is now a standard component of all school design and constructions administered by SFUSD.

Green Affordable Housing For over a decade non-profit housing developers in San Francisco, Richmond, and Marin and, in the East Bay, in partnership with Habitat for Humanity, have taken advantage of Global Green’s technical assistance to create LEED Certified energy efficient homes for low-income families.

Green Cities Global Green authored the Alameda County Green Building Guidelines and has advised and guided policy decisions for the cities of Cupertino, Mountainview and San Bruno to improve energy efficiency and water quality.

Green Building Standards California’s Green Building Standards Code (sets targets for energy efficiency, water consumption, diversion of construction waste from landfills and use of environmentally sensitive materials) and the Comprehensive Energy Efficiency Program for Existing Buildings were developed with Global Green.

San Francisco GGUSA National Event

Since 2005 San Francisco Global Green supporters have hosted the Gorgeous + Green gala one of the Bay Area's premier green high style events. The celebrity filled SRO fashion - focused party, styled by Global Green Board Member Zem Joaquin, founder of ecofabulous.com, is held early in December at green venues including the LEED Certified Bently Reserve and the W San Francisco.

WE INVITE YOUR MEMBERSHIP

Global Green USA depends on the support and involvement of conscientious, progressive individuals to achieve its goals and to forward President Gorbachev’s vision of a safer, more sustainable planet. Now in its second decade, Global Green understands the urgent need for knowledgeable and dedicated leaders who are active in the environmental community. To download a copy of the Prospectus and a Pledge Form, please click here. To join the Council now by making a donation via our secure website, please click here.

Membership Commitment:

Give and/or raise $5,000 per year, and

Help recruit additional Council members and spread Global Green’s message

GLOBAL GREEN USA NEW YORK COUNCIL

Global Green USA is the U.S. affiliate of Green Cross International, the environmental movement founded by President Mikhail Gorbachev more than a decade ago. Global Green’s mission is to foster a global value shift toward a sustainable and secure future.

Global Green in New York

Greening Affordable Housing

Mitigating Waste & Greenhouse Gases

Goal: Working with legislative experts to promote green affordable housing policies throughout the state.

Goal: Divert 580,000 tons of waste per year from New York City, saving businesses $70 million in disposal costs and reduce greenhouse gases by 1.4 million tons per year, the equivalent of taking 300,000 cars off the road.

Example of Impact: Since restaurants alone 700 tons of paper packaging and 1,100 tons of food waste per day, Global Green’s Coalition for Resource Recovery (CoRR)*, a nation-wide commercial corporate membership group, has created scalable, model projects for the food service industry. It’s local successes include.

Piloting new recycling systems for coffee cups and paper food packaging at NYC Starbucks and Pret a Manger.

Promoting conversion of 6,000 tons per year of wholesale poultry boxes servicing the NYC market to recyclables. If all boxes are recycled, it is the equivalent in greenhouse gas reduction to removing 3800 passenger cars from the road.

*The Albert and Elaine Borchard Foundation, Mertz Gilmore Foundation, New York Community Trust, Overbrook Foundation, and the Turner Foundation have furthered Global Green's work through their support.

Special New York National Event

Global Green’s annual NYC Sustainable Design Awards Gala is held in New York City in November. This event recognizing the effective leadership of individuals and companies who are helping to advance climate and sustainable solutions locally and nationally to make our world more secure. The event also serves as a critical opportunity to raise awareness and funds to support Global Green’s initiatives around the country.

Global Green USA depends on the support and involvement of conscientious, progressive individuals to achieve its goals and to forward President Gorbachev’s vision of a safer, more sustainable planet. Now in its second decade, Global Green understands the urgent need for knowledgeable and dedicated leaders who are active in the environmental community. To download a copy of the Prospectus and a Pledge Form, please click here. To join the Council now by making a donation via our secure website, please click here.

GLOBAL GREEN USA LOS ANGELES COUNCIL

Global Green USA is the U.S. affiliate of Green Cross International, the environmental movement founded by President Mikhail Gorbachev more than a decade ago. Global Green’s mission is to foster a global value shift toward a sustainable and secure future.

Global Green in Los Angeles & California

Global Green is the only national environmental non-profit with headquarters in Southern California. Global Green uses L.A.’s international visibility to advance its causes throughout the country. In Los Angeles, Global Green is greening all new LAUSD public school construction and also helping to create one of the first zero-energy affordable housing projects in the country. Working with celebrity Board Members like Leonardo DiCaprio and Edward Norton, Global Green has championed the cause of solar on affordable housing in the California state legislature and promoted alternative transportation choices on Oprah.

Global Green also:

Secured commitments for $20 billion in new green construction for schools and public buildings in California alone;

Created the Red Carpet/Green Cars Campaign, which highlighted alternative transportation choices by taking celebrities to the Academy Awards in hybrid vehicles, including the Prius;

Arranged for Los Angeles City Council President Eric Garcetti, Salma Hayek and Jake Gyllenhaal to travel to the Arctic to help draw attention to the dire consequences of global warming; and

Opened the Green Building Resource Center in Santa Monica, one of the only U.S. centers to offer green building information to the public.

Created for Los Angeles the nation’s first City Carbon Index to activate “climate citizens”.

Global Green USA depends on the support and involvement of conscientious, progressive individuals to achieve its goals and to forward President Gorbachev’s vision of a safer, more sustainable planet. Now in its second decade, Global Green understands the urgent need for knowledgeable and dedicated leaders who are active in the environmental community. To download a copy of the Prospectus and a Pledge Form, please click here. To join the Council now by making a donation via our secure website, please click here.

Membership Commitment:

Give and/or raise $5,000 per year, and

Help recruit additional Council members and spread Global Green’s message

CEO Matt Petersen joined our colleagues at Green Cross Ukraine and other Green Cross affiliates for a trip to tour the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone on the 26th anniversary of the nuclear disaster. The trip included a tour of the visitor’s center near the damaged reactor block and Pripyat, the former town for the workers at the plant, and will include discussions on the aftermath of the disaster and the affected regions.

Only 10 nations worldwide share 65% of the world's annual water resources

70% of the Earth's surface is covered by water, 97.5% is salt water and 2.5% is fresh water, with less than 1% really available for human consumption

1 in 5 people are without access to safe drinking water

WORLD WATER DAY

Like so many environmental programs, including our own parent organization, Green Cross International, World Water Day owes its origin to the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. The United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution to designate March 22 of each year as the World Day for Water.

Many of us recognize the potential for increased conflict over water resources, but we do not always realize how the mutual dependence and shared nature of a water resource can also be the basis for increased cooperation between peoples.

Green Cross addresses the lack of access to water and sanitation through advocacy, education, and practical projects around the world. The focus is on three key areas: Right to Water and Sanitation; Water for Peace; and Smart Water for Green Schools.

The Green Cross Water Program is focused largely on conflict areas, primarily in the Middle East. The program includes projects with local partners such as The Peres Centre for Peace, where our ultimate goal is to influence policy makers in both Palestine and Israel to ensure that the equitable distribution of water resources and water treatment are properly represented in top level peace talks, as well as with Friends of the Earth Middle East to tackle the problem of sewage seepage into the trans-boundary aquifers between Israel and Palestine, well capacity building in the water sector in the Gaza Strip, as well as rainwater collection in schools in Israel, Palestine and Jordan.

The rainwater harvesting projects build on our earlier projects in Bolivia and new ones in the Middle East, Argentina, Burkina Faso, and will be extended next month to Chad, where we will be addressing some of the most desperate conditions of poverty related to water scarcity. The Chad project is an off-shoot of the international program, launched at the Hague Second World Water Forum, of Green Cross International to equip 500 schools around the world in three years with rainwater harvesting devises utilizing solar energy coupling to sanitation equipment in order to demonstrate how important and vital it is to save water and energy in our day to day lives.

The awareness of the need to better conserve water and the educational impact that these systems have had on local communities in developed as well as developing countries are invaluable. When it rains, school children partake in measurement activities designed to show precisely how much water is being collected from these systems, how much money is being saved, and most importantly, how everyone can take action to do his or her part in better water management and conservation. Furthering these programs is how we hope to do our part in observing World Water Day and we encourage you to do yours.

It is difficult to imagine that water shortages could be a problem on a planet that is 75% water, however, only a tiny fraction of the earth's water is drinkableand overconsumption and pollution of water supplies have stressed the world's fresh water systems to the brink.

Today, more than 1.2 billion people do not have access to clean water. Every year, more than five million people (many of them women and children) die of water-related diseases, which are the world's leading cause of illness. Additionally 2.4 billion people lack basic sanitation and services that exacerbate these diseases.

It has been estimated that clean, safe water can be brought to the 1.2 billion people around the world for as little as $50 per person. It is ironic that we spend billions of dollars on missions to Mars to see if water ever existed on that barren planet but we can't find the political will to insure that the water that exists on Earth reaches the billions of thirsty people in need today.

Global Green USA is the American arm of Green Cross International and most of our projects are U.S.-based. But we work closely with our Green Cross partners and also have projects and programs across the world.

In the first six months of 2011, the U.S. civilian power grid suffered 155 blackouts affecting an average of 83,000 people with 36 blackouts affecting over 100,000 people. Despite these staggering numbers, US military bases rely solely on the civilian grid to power 99% of their war fighting capabilities, homeland security missions, and rescue and relief operations. This paper analyzes the Department of Defense’s current efforts to increase energy efficiency and assurance and makes recommendations on the policy options available to the DOD to increase the incorporation of smart microgrids onto its military installations.

Daniel Sater was a Research Fellow at Global Green USA's Security and Sustainability Office in Washington, D.C., in the summer of 2011. He is a graduate student at the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy at the University of Virginia. Daniel holds a BA in Foreign Affairs from the University of Virginia and will receive his Master of Public Policy degree in May 2012.

This paper assesses the reasons for the slow progress in destroying Japanese abandoned chemical weapons in China. Japan abandoned an estimated 300,000-400,000 chemical weapons on the territory of China after WWII. Japan is obligated to destroy these weapons by 2012 under the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) of 1997. The first chemical weapon in China was not destroyed until fall 2010 and as a result Japan and China are unlikely to meet the 2012 final CWC destruction deadline. The slow pace of progress and inability of Japan and China to meet the 2012 deadline for destruction of the declared chemical weapons are due to the complicated nature of the project along with technical problems, negotiation issues, and financial and diplomatic difficulties.

This paper analyzes disarmament negotiations, primarily regarding chemical weapons, in the Middle East and the prospects for advancement under changing security relations in the region. The paper approaches the question of disarmament negotiations in two distinct ways. First, an examination of the precedent established by regional security agreements in other parts of the world, and the strengths and limitations therein. And second, an analysis of the specific security concerns of Egypt, Syria, and Israel, and how they influence both official government negotiations (Track I) and those of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) (Track II). The conclusion includes a discussion of proposed summits in the Middle East in 2012 focused on a Weapons of Mass Destruction Free Zone (WMDFZ) in the region.

This is the presentation of Dr. Paul Walker, director of the Global Green USA Security and Sustainability Program, at the International Working Group organized by the Landau Network Centro Volta in Como, Italy, which hosted a working roundtable meeting on Monday, June 20, 2011 on the subject of Science Collaboration and Security: A New Global Outreach to Key Actors.

This publication is a part of our Archive Series. It was published in 2006 on the 20th anniversary of the disaster. It explores the historical and scientific problems concerning the legacy of radiation at the site.

Third edition; edited by V. M. Kuznetsov, St. Robinson and V. Rossi. A 2004 study by Green Cross Russia found significant risks in deploying the kinds of floating nuclear power plants proposed in Russia. This study is the first in a series of publications to be re-released as part of our Archive Series (1994-2007). The series will feature works in English and Russian that continue to be relevant to today's policy debates.

The Lithuanian Mission to the United Nations organized a discussion before the UN Second Committee on Thursday, November 11, 2010, to discuss a draft resolution on sea-dumped chemical weapons. Dr. Paul F. Walker, director of the Security and Sustainability Program at Global Green USA, and Dr. Terrance Long, an international expert on sea-dumped munitions, were both introduced by Lithuanian Ambassador Dalius Cekuolis. The session was chaired by Mr. Tory Torrington from the Mission of Guyana.

This paper assesses the location and potential dangers of contaminant associated with Japanese sunken ships and the possible contaminants, including oil and chemical weapons, leaking from the sunken ships in the Pacific Ocean. Many countries dumped chemical agents into the ocean; some agents, including chemical munitions, were dumped intentionally and others accidentally into the ocean. In either case, marine disposal of chemicals of all kinds threatens human and environmental life. Released July 2010.

This report summarizes the problems, background, and risks, of sea-dumped chemical munitions primarily around the island of Oahu. From 1932-1945, the U.S. Army dumped thousands of tons of chemical weapons off Hawaii’s coasts. Until the Virginian Daily Press drew attention to these chemical munition dumpsites in 2005, the general population of Hawaii was unaware of their existence.The University of Hawaii has been investigating chemical weapons dumpsites and has found a number of sea-dumped chemical munitions around the heavily populated island of Oahu. Released July 2010.

This paper primarily assesses the document, "The National Survey on Toxic Gas of Former Army," prepared by the Japanese Ministry of the Environment, relating to sea-dumped chemical munitions, as well as other materials. The issues examined are the history of chemical weapons in Japan including production, stockpiles and especially sea-dumping of these munitions. Released in May 2010.

Russia's Uneasy Relationship with Iran by Marina Voronova-Abrams

U.S. Secretary of State Clinton's March 2010 visit to Moscow underlined the continuing tensions the U.S. and Russia are having over Iran. While the Obama administration is pushing for strict sanctions against Iran, Moscow is urging greater caution and expressing frustration at the U.S. about restrictions to trade.

Green Cross Russia, Green Cross Switzerland, and Global Green USA are behind this collection that features the proceedings of the Tenth Chemical National Dialogue on the Implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention by Russia as of the end of 2008.

This collection includes reports and speeches as well as the question-and-answer sessions that took place at the Second Public Dialogue on Nuclear Energy, Society and Security, organized and held April 2008 in Saint Petersburg, Russia.

This collection presents research and presentations as well as questions and answers from the Russian Nuclear National Dialogue "Energy, Society and Security," organized by Green Cross Russia, Green Cross Switzerland, and Global Green USA in April 2007 in Moscow.

Report on November 1996 forum that brought together a broad cross-section of citizens, officials from local, state and federal government, defense and service branch personnel, non-profit groups and others working on military base cleanup and conversion issues.

Following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010, we mobilzed to help provide ground relief, advocated for a clean energy future, then worked on ways to help with wetlands restoration. Since then, Global Green has continued our work to help the local communities recover and hold BP accountable.

OUR WORK

We partnered with Bayou Grace, Voice of the Wetlands, and Episcopal Community Services to provide more than $10,000 worth of basic food aid in Terrebonne Parish, Plaquemines Parish, and elsewhere.

We organized and documented residents in Grand Isle to raise their voices and concerns to help raise awareness and compel action to clean up the BP Oil Spill.

We helped to lead a state and federal advocacy campaign to ensure that citizens have a voice in coastal restoration decisions and that future oil drilling is safer for workers and protects the environment.

We led delegations of Global Green supporters, including Sophia Bush, Austin Nichols, Rhona Mitra and others to witness the impacts of the oil spill firsthand, meet with local political leaders and families in distress, and help communicate the disaster to the media and the general public.

We organized a New Orleans-based rally with the Sierra Club to highlight the plight of the fishing community and environmental and wildlife disaster.

We organized one of the first protest actions of fishermen and environmentalists on Grand Isle just days before the oil spill hit the shore.

We developed a partnership with AmeriCorps VISTA to secure additional staff members to support Global Green’s ongoing sustainability efforts in the Gulf region.

We co-sponsored a national Voice of the Wetlands All Stars Tour & PSA campaign to raise awareness and support of the need to invest in the protection of coastal wetlands resources devastated by Katrina, oil spill and ongoing development pressures.

We joined other organizations in successfully advocating for the passage of the RESTORE Act, to ensure that 80 percent of the penalty money paid for the BP spill goes to help those in the regions affected.

Our staff from our New Orleans office have joined other local groups to restore the Gulf, including the Restore the Earth Foundation in helping plant thousands of "Gulf Saver" plant restoration bags.

We started the Louisiana Wetland Action Program to engage landowners in coastal restoration.

We were awarded with a "Champions of Change" award for our work to restore the Gulf Coast following the oil spill.

After the devastation of Hurricane Katrina and the inadequate response of the U.S. Government, Global Green USA made a dedicated commitment to sustainable building in New Orleans.

OUR WORK

As part of our commitment to the sustainable rebuilding of New Orleans and demonstrating green building as a solution to global warming nationally, Global Green USA -- in collaboration with Brad Pitt as jury chairman -- sponsored an international sustainable design competition during the summer of 2006. More than 125 entries were received, each representing designs for a net zero energy affordable housing and community center development in the Holy Cross neighborhood of the Lower 9th Ward. The winning design selected by the jury came from Matthew Berman and Andrew Kotchen of Workshop/apd, a young NYC firm and became the basis of our Holy Cross Project. Five homes have been built, with one being used as a visitor's center.

It is inspiring and heartening to see so many citizens pitching in with relief efforts in New York and New Jersey following the devastation of Hurricane Sandy. The drive to meet the immediate and ongoing needs of those affected with shelter, clothing, and food continues, while the focus is slowly beginning to turn to rebuilding.

Global Green USA is committed to helping the East Coast rebuild green and there are three easy steps you can take to help:

1. CITIZEN SANDY: Submit your green rebuilding idea or nominate someone you know who has an idea for a green, rebuilding project that can help make their neighborhood more resilient and help speed a sustainable recovery -- for a chance to win $5,000 and runners-up get $1500 and $1000 for their green rebuilding projects in seed funding from Global Green USA. The contest has been closed. Our Citizen Sandy winner will be announced soon!

2. I AM: If you don't have a green rebuilding idea, show your solidarity and support by sending an “I AM” photo with a low-lying community at risk due to sea level rise and share your commitment to fight climate change. Upload your photo now.

3. SUPPORT FOR SANDY: Support Global Green aid communities devastated by Sandy via our green rebuilding projects including the search for Citizen Sandy, our Solar for Sandy initiative, and green neighborhood planning for rebuilding. Make a donation now.